The National Weather Service has confirmed two tornadoes in Delaware and New Jersey from severe thunderstorms on Thursday, Nov. 12. Its first damage-survey update rated the Chesterfield, New Jersey, tornado EF-1, while saying further details on the New Castle County, Delaware, tornado would follow.

What the first NWS survey found

The Mount Holly office’s preliminary report, issued Friday, estimated peak winds of 100 mph along a 1.5-mile path in Chesterfield, Burlington County. The track reached a maximum width of 100 yards. The NWS reported no fatalities or injuries from that tornado.

The agency said the Nov. 12 storms produced two confirmed tornadoes, damaging winds and severe hail across northern Delaware, southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The survey report provided detailed measurements for Chesterfield but said an additional update on the New Castle County tornado was still to come. The EF-1 rating is preliminary and may change after final review.

Why the Delaware details remain open

Local reporting also described two confirmed tornadoes in the Philadelphia region and noted how unusual November tornadoes are in Delaware. The weather service’s ongoing survey process matters because an initial confirmation and a finalized rating are separate steps: officials can establish that a tornado occurred before completing a damage-based estimate of its strength and path.

Readers following regional storm updates can find more Weather coverage on The Globuzz.

Sources

National Weather Service Mount Holly: Nov. 12 tornado and wind damage survey (Nov. 13); CBS Philadelphia: NWS confirms tornadoes in Delaware and New Jersey (Nov. 13); The Philadelphia Inquirer: two tornadoes confirmed in the region (Nov. 13); Delaware Public Media: NWS confirmation and Delaware context (Nov. 12).